Topic: Karen Carpenter The Carpenters began as the Richard Carpenter Trio in the late 1960’s, with Karen’s vocalizing backed by both her brother and bassist Wes Jacobs. They worked hard for a while, and even won a battle of bands at the Hollywood Bowl which led to making a few records, but none did well. Jacobs eventually left and was replaced by John Bettis, and the group was also renamed Spectrum, but it still struggled and Bettis soon disappeared too. Redtro Redeux | WEB LINKS | IMAGES | SHOP The Carpenters

Topic: Karen CarpenterKaren Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was a highly successful American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the popular 1970s duo Carpenters. Karen Carpenter was an accomplished drummer, placing first in Playboy's reader poll for Best Rock Drummer of 1975, thus pioneering the way for a plethora of female drummers to follow. However, it is her vocal style for which she is best remembered. Known for impeccable phrasing and perfect pitch, Carpenter suffered from anorexia nervosa, a little known disease at the time, and eventually died from complications related to recovering from the illness at the age of 32, in 1983.